Graphic Representations: Geni

Geni is a family tree tool that allows users to define and organize individuals, marriages, and children in a visual display. For each individual in the tree, personal information such as dates of birth and death can be entered, digital pictures can be uploaded, biographies written and memories shared. In the Web 2.0 spirit, the tool is collaborative, allowing the creator to enter email addresses of family members, inviting them to co-create the shared space. In the classroom, Geni could be used by individual students to research their own family history, and as the trees fork backward, reflect with other students on the topic of immigration and immigrants in each of our families. Teachers could also set up mock trees and assign each student one person to research (e.g., the descendants of George Washington). Students would then be responsible for collecting and writing the demographic and biographical information for their assigned person, with the whole class contributing to a shared tree.